On May 29, 2025, during the ECOWAS fiftieth anniversary celebrations in Lagos, the President of the ECOWAS Commission visited the Dangote petroleum refinery in Lagos State, Nigeria. The visit included Professor Abdullahi Nazifi Darma, Commissioner for Internal Affairs; Mr. Sediko Douka, Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation; and several ECOWAS staff members.
The Dangote refinery is recognized as Africa’s largest private investment with a total cost exceeding $20 billion. It occupies a 2,635-hectare site in Lagos State and produces over 650,000 barrels of oil daily. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray was welcomed by Aliko Dangote and expressed ECOWAS’s commitment to collaborating with major African private sector players to develop and implement policies that address poverty and youth unemployment.
Dr. Touray described the refinery as “a beacon of hope for Africa’s future” and emphasized the importance of private sector contributions to regional industrialization efforts. He stated: “What I’ve seen today gives me a lot of hope, and anyone who doesn’t believe in Africa should come here.”
The President called for stronger collaboration between governments and the private sector to ensure policy decisions align with real challenges faced by African manufacturers. As ECOWAS marks its 50th anniversary, he reiterated the community’s commitment to involving the private sector more directly in decision-making processes.
“We often talk about poverty eradication and youth employment,” Dr. Touray noted, highlighting that government alone may not have the capacity to achieve these goals without private sector involvement.
Aliko Dangote thanked the delegation for their visit and confirmed his willingness to share expertise with Member States to help create jobs for young people and combat poverty across West Africa.